Tempted

“Explain what? That you’re a recovering addict working at a goddamn club? There is no explaining that,” she says, motioning toward the skirt around my hips, that holds my money purse. “Oh . . . and there’s the part where you bold-faced lied to me. After everything I’ve done for you?” she shrills.

I feel a hand at my back, and Carter leans down to whisper in my ear, “Want me to have Rob remove her?”

“You,” she spits vehemently at Carter. “You did this, didn’t you?”

I move toward Harper. “This has nothing to do with him. I met him once I started working here. Leave him out of this.”

She throws her head back and rolls her eyes. “Of course, you’ve made friends with the bartender. Let me guess, he’s your new drinking partner? Do you guys pop pills together too?”

Carter stiffens beside me at her accusation before he lifts a hand and signals to the bouncer, Rob. There’s no rectifying this scene now. She’s pissed Carter off. I want to argue with him because it’s clear she’s wasted, but there’s no use. She’s attacked him, and she’s drawing too much attention.

Harper is a lightweight. Where I’m the former drunk, she rarely drinks. Maybe my past has something to do with it, but the main reason is her job. She works extremely long hours, and it doesn’t leave her a lot of time for a social life. Add in the fact that Cal monopolizes the rest of her time, and drinking has never been a priority. It was another reason I never in a million years considered this run-in to be a possibility.

I start speaking really fast, trying to get out everything that needs to be said before Rob makes his way over here.

“Harper, I just started. It hasn’t been long, but it’s helped me get out of trouble. There were some issues with my last job that I’m not going to get into here, but I had to quit. If you knew the story, you’d agree. Drew gave me this job, and so far, it’s been awesome. I’m not using, and I’ve already been promoted.”

“Is there a problem here?” Rob’s grizzly form hovers over my shoulder, and I tense as Harper’s eyes widen.

“You’re having me thrown out?” she accuses.

“I’m having you thrown out,” Carter says, coming to my defense. “You’re causing a scene and badgering my employees.”

“How dare you?” she hisses at him, acting completely unlike Harper.

“Come on, ma’am, it’s time for you to go,” Rob chimes in.

Harper stands, shrugging off Rob’s hands that have come to her arm to help escort her.

“Get your hands off of me, you big goon.”

I wince. The scene just gets worse as the minutes go by. More people gather around to try to witness whatever’s about to go down. If they knew my sister, they’d know she’s all bark.

“What’s going on?” Drew says, joining the party and drawing even more attention.

“What’s going on?” Harper snarls. “Tell me, Drew. Why is my sister working here?”

Drew raises a brow. “Hello to you too, Harper. Would you like to go somewhere quiet so we can talk?”

“No. I have nothing to say to you. I can’t believe you hired her,” she says, leveling him with a glare that could burn this entire place to the ground. “Do you know about her past?”

It’s my turn to jump in. “Harper, this is not the place,” I start, but she cuts me off.

“Don’t tell me what I can and cannot say,” she says in what I’m sure is supposed to be a commanding voice, but it’s slurred instead as she rocks back on her heels.

“How much has she had to drink?” I ask her wide-eyed friends sitting with her. Clearly, they are colleagues based on the way they’re dressed, which only makes this entire thing worse. She will never forgive me for embarrassing her in front of people she works with.

“I gave her a job because Cal begged me to,” Drew snaps.

I close my eyes, wanting to crawl under the table at his slip. Had Cal not told him to keep that under the radar? Based on Harper’s expression—a mix of betrayal and horror—this conversation was not going to end well for Cal, and it was all my fault.

“Harper—”

“Don’t say another word,” she practically cries as she storms out of the bar.

“I-I’ll be back,” I say on the verge of my own tears. “Carter, can you help me with this table?” He nods, motioning for me to follow her. I run, trying to catch up to her, but she’s on a mission to get as far away from me as possible. When I get outside, she’s staggering off down the sidewalk.

“Harper,” I yell out, and she swings around menacingly, stalking back toward me.

“How dare you?” she says, jabbing a finger in my chest. “How dare you humiliate me in there?”